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{
    "id": 594255,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/594255/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 68,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Barua",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1529,
        "legal_name": "Ejidius Njogu Barua",
        "slug": "ejidius-njogu-barua"
    },
    "content": "Thank you for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this important Bill, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I would like to echo the sentiments of my colleagues who are of the opinion that this Bill is long overdue. In terms of the environmental issues raised in this country and the world in general, desertification is one of the biggest threats we are facing. This Bill is important because, first and foremost, it will ensure that areas affected by desertification are addressed and measures to reverse the situation are put in place. It is also important to look at adaptation and see how people living in the ASAL areas can adjust to the conditions of the degraded environment. For the last many years, one of the aspects that have been overlooked is addressing the issue of desertification in the affected areas. Time has come for us to focus on areas currently not affected by desertification in order to reduce the rate of encroachment. If the rate of encroachment of deserts continues unabated as it is, this country will virtually be a desert in the next 20 years or so. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I would like to support the amendment brought to the National Assembly by the Senate and as considered by the Departmental Committee on Environment and Natural Resources. In particular, I would like to support the Mover of this Bill. We considered Clause 4 and rejected what he had proposed. We are now talking about the wage bill of this country and the duplication of activities. Having branches of this Authority in every county will end up being expensive and may not serve the purpose. If you look at the second amendment which we have also considered and approved, you will find that it is on appointment. If you remember when we were moving the Environmental Management and Coordination Bill, we raised concerns that in the appointments, the Senate brought some amendments which were not in order. One of those amendments was in the Public Complaints Committee. The Senate proposed nomination of one member of the Public Complaints Committee to be derived from an appointment of the CoG. That nominee replaced the nominee of the civil society. I would like to emphasise here that the civil society and the CoG actually perform different roles. The appointee of the CoG cannot in any way substitute the functions played by the National Council for Non-Governmental Organisations. In future, if the Senate feels that the county governors must be represented, they should propose an addition of other nominees instead of replacing other people who are legitimately nominated and recommended to such institutions."
}